Family portrait
by eternityforklaine21
Summary: Six year old Blaine wished he could have the perfect family, like he did in the family portrait that was taken last year. Song used from P!NK - Family Portrait.


It was happening again, they were fighting, and Blaine just wanted it to be over. It was regular occurrence these past few weeks, after he'd go to bed, they'd start fighting.

Blaine stared up at his ceiling, maybe if he looking at the pictures he stuck there then he could forget all this but who was he kidding, the neighbours down the street could probably hear all the screaming and fighting. Many of them have complained about it before, it was a quiet area so of course they'd be able to hear it.

He could hear the doors slamming and his mommy and daddy screaming at each other.

"I hate you!" He could hear his daddy scream.

Maybe if he closed his eyes long enough then he wouldn't hear it.

"Just leave!" He heard his mommy scream back.

SLAM. It was the front door, probably his daddy going to the bar again to get drunk. He was only six years old and his parents were getting a divorce, most people his age didn't know what that meant but his mommy and daddy always mentioned it, so he asked Cooper what it meant. Cooper told him it was when mommies and daddies didn't love each other any more, why couldn't they love each other anymore?

He pulled the pillow over his head and cried harder, he could hear his mommy's sobs and he didn't know what to do. He pulled 'Peter' his stuffed rabbit closer; he didn't like it when his mommy cried.

_Momma please stop crying  
I can't stand the sound  
your pain is painful and  
it's tearing me down_

He pulled Peter closer to him and squeezed his eyes shut very tightly, hiding under his covers. Maybe if he pretends that it isn't happening then it won't. He had a few friends and they always told him that if he wished really hard then his wish might come true, maybe he could wish for his family to be happy again.

His mommy is still crying, she's downstairs and he's upstairs but he can still hear her sobs. He can't help her; he can't go downstairs and comfort his mommy because his daddy might come back. His daddy is a big business man and Blaine's scared of him. Blaine's daddy always told him that big boys don't cry; why he didn't tell Blaine that big girls are allowed to cry because his mommy was crying.

Things used to be so right with the family, it all used to make sense to him and his 16 year old brother Cooper. His daddy was a lawyer and had his own firm, whatever that meant and mommy would always look after him and Cooper. It didn't make sense any more.

Thing's are so confusing for six year old Blaine. Cooper is never home any more unless he's sleeping or eating, and his daddy's always drinking alcohol, it makes him throw things around the house. His daddy never tells him he loves Blaine any more and he doesn't read Blaine bed time stories like he used too; he used to make the best voices. It was his favourite part of the day because his daddy always tucked him in and called him 'sport' but now the only things he calls Blaine is nasty grown up words that Blaine isn't allowed to use.

He could still hear the echo's of the glass breaking, maybe it was a plate or the coffee table who knows? His daddy threw it before he walked out. Blaine sat up in his bed and put his hands together before praying to the big man in the sky, he prayed for his mommy to be safe and for his daddy not to be bad any more. He prayed for a happy family.

_I hear glasses breaking  
as I sit up in my bed  
I told dad you didn't mean  
those nasty things you said_

All of Blaine's friends are happy because their parents took them on a family vacation; Blaine has never been on vacation. Everybody has happy families apart from Blaine; maybe if he saved all his pennies then he could go away on vacation someday.

His parents fought so much; they always fought about him and Cooper. His daddy loved Cooper because his big brother always played sports and worked on cars but Blaine wanted to play piano, his daddy said that he shouldn't because playing piano is for girls, Blaine didn't know what that meant and his mommy told him to ignore it.

They always fought about who would read Blaine his bed time story until he told them that it was okay and he was a big boy now, he could read it himself. He went to bed to cry instead. Cooper doesn't do anything wrong either, but sometimes they always drag him into arguments. His daddy told him that he was an accident and that they didn't want him but they had to put up with him anyway.

He didn't know if his daddy would ever do anything to hurt him, he didn't want to find out either.

Sometimes Blaine blames himself for all of it, he blames himself because maybe if he was a big boy and didn't need his parents help then they wouldn't be arguing. His daddy told him that it was his fault, maybe he was right but his mommy told him that it wasn't his fault, it left Blaine feeling confused. Maybe if Blaine told them that he wanted to be a lawyer when he was older, would his daddy love him then?

Everyday when Blaine would come home from school, he went straight to his room because that was his shelter now.

_You fight about money  
about me and brother  
and this I come home to  
this is my shelter._

Blaine thought his parents loved each other but he can't remember a time when he saw them happy. He wondered why they got married, weren't you supposed to be in love to be married? Maybe one day his mommy could marry somebody else who treats her better.

His mommy's crying had stopped now and his daddy wouldn't be back for ages, maybe he could go and check his mommy is okay and then run back up if he hears daddy.

He carefully slid out of his quilt and off his bed grabbing Peter and his blanket, he knew it would be safe to go downstairs for now – there was no more yelling or screaming, that's how he knew. He tip-toed down the stairs to see the living room a mess with the coffee table broken, he sneaked past and into the kitchen where his mommy was sitting with a cigarette in her mouth. She only ever smoked when she was upset and stressed.

"What's wrong mommy?" Blaine asked innocently.

"Nothing," His mommy said "Go back to bed and I'll see you in the morning."

Blaine stood on his tip-toes and kissed her on the cheek, he knew his mommy was lying but he obeyed her orders anyway. "Okay mommy, I love you."

His mommy smiled for the first time in ages, "I love you too Blainey."

Blaine turned around to go back to his room, to his sanctuary.

_It ain't easy, growing up in World War 3  
Never knowing what love could be  
You'll see, I don't want love to destroy me  
Like it has done my family_

You see those picture perfect families on the TV, like The Simpsons. Why couldn't Blaine have one of those? Why couldn't he be part of a family where his mommy would always clean and bake while his daddy went to work and make lots of money? Why couldn't he have a family where the money his daddy earns went on family outings? Why couldn't Blaine have that?

But this is reality and Blaine hates it, he hates it so much.

He could hear Cooper get out of bed, and he knew that his daddy had gone out. He doesn't know if his daddy is ever coming back, he wants his daddy to come back though. He wants his daddy play with him again and ruffles his hair. Hot tears rolled down Blaine's face as he turned over and squeezed his eyes shut really tight. He lay against his pillow, he can't breathe but that's okay for now. He finally came up from smothering himself with his pillow, the light in his room shines on the window and his daddy's car isn't there, he must have gone somewhere to get drunk, he would be back soon to cause more trouble.

_Can we work it out  
can we be a family  
I promise I'll be better  
Mommy I'll do anything_

_Can we work it out  
Can we be a family  
I promise I'll be better  
Daddy please don't leave_

It wasn't long before his daddy's car pulled up into the driveway and the doors slammed open and closed. He was back again and he was drunk.

There's quite a lot of shouting and he can hear perfectly what his daddy said.

"It's over," His daddy screamed to his mommy "I want a divorce!"

"Leave then!" His mommy screamed back. SMASH. Something else got thrown across the room. "I never loved you anyway!"

_I love you daddy, I love you daddy, I love you daddy _Blaine kept repeating in his head. He loved his daddy and he knew that no matter what mommy said, she loved him too. Tears kept pouring down his face, he wondered where Cooper was, he wondered if Cooper was crying but he was a bigger boy than Blaine and big boys don't cry.

_Daddy, please stop yelling  
I can't stand the sound  
Make mama stop crying  
'Cause I need you around_

_My mama she loves you  
No matter what she says is true  
I know that she hurts you  
But remember I love you too_

Maybe if he ran away, maybe if he ran somewhere and met a new family. He wondered if he did that then would his new family be like this dysfunctional one or would they be the perfect family. Maybe he could run away and meet a family that doesn't have any problems.

His parents were going to get a divorce but Blaine doesn't want them to split up! Couldn't they go to the doctor and the doctor could help them love each other again. He doesn't want them to split up because then he might have to go away and live with his daddy, he loved his daddy but he wanted to stay with his mommy and Cooper. Cooper protects him from everything; he is the best big brother.

Blaine doesn't know what love is because there was no love in his family. His parents hate each other and he's not sure if his mommy really loves him or she just says it. Blaine didn't want to grow up, then he would fall in love with a prince or princess and he didn't want to. He didn't want love to destroy him because it had already destroyed his family.

_I ran away today, ran from the noise  
Ran away, don't wanna go back to that place  
but don't have no choice, no way_

It must have been really late but Blaine couldn't keep his eyes closed, maybe if he did then he could wake up and all this would have been just a dream, right? No, it'd be a nightmare wouldn't it? Maybe if he woke up then when he went downstairs in the morning, mommy would be cooking breakfast and daddy would be sitting at the dining table reading the newspaper, they'd be the perfect family like in their family picture last year.

Blaine realized that he wasn't going to wake up because he was already awake, this was real life and it was really happening. It scared him, even though his daddy was scary – what would life be without his daddy? He didn't want to know. He would have to live with his daddy one week and then his mommy the next. They'd never be a real family again.

His parents could have pretended to be the perfect family, but they screamed so much that the whole neighbourhood knew that it wouldn't be long before the Anderson family split up. They could have pretended and then nobody would have known about their problems.

_In our family portrait  
we look pretty happy  
let's play pretend  
Lets act like it comes naturally_

_I don't wanna have to split the holidays I don't want two addresses  
I don't want a stepbrother anyway  
And I don't want my mom to have to change her last name_

It was really happening, his parents were splitting up. Maybe he could beg them to stay together; maybe he could do the dishes for them and clean his room. Maybe if he never asked for anything from them ever again then his daddy would stay.

Blaine lay awake, it was near 1AM and Blaine hadn't slept a wink. He could hear footsteps coming up the stairs and into his room, it was his daddy and he had an overnight bag. Blaine could see two suitcases out in the hallway, his lip trembled – he knew what this meant. He mentally begged _Daddy, please don't leave. _But his begging didn't work because his daddy leant over and kissed his forehead before speaking to him.

"I'm sorry sport," He whispered "I'll miss you."

"Daddy," Blaine's lips quivered "Daddy, don't go." He begged but his daddy didn't listen. He stood up and walked to the door and turned around to Blaine.

"I love you Blaine." He said and then he was gone.

"I love you too daddy." Blaine whispered to the empty room.

He closed his eyes and sobbed into his stuffed animal; daddy was gone and wasn't coming back. He managed to fall asleep after about half an hour.

In the morning he went downstairs and everything was back in it's place, it was like last night didn't happen. His mommy and Cooper were sitting at the dining table. After his mommy made his breakfast, she sat down with them before speaking, mainly to Blaine.

"Your daddy is going away." His mommy said. Blaine knew what that meant; it meant that his daddy wasn't coming back. His daddy told him he was sorry and that he'd miss him, that's how Blaine knew he wasn't coming back.

"What are we going to do now?" Cooper asked quietly. Blaine just looked down at the table.

"We're going to start over," His mommy replied to Cooper. "Somewhere nobody knows us and somewhere we can be a family."

"But where?" Blaine asked. His mommy looked so much put together today and maybe she was right, maybe they needed a new start, maybe they needed to start over.

"A place called Lima, Ohio. You'll move to a new school and make new friends." His mommy replied.

"When are we going?" Cooper asked.

"As soon as possible, we need to get things sorted first." She said before wrapping Blaine and Cooper in a hug.

Blaine was happy that they were having a new start but in the back of his mind, all he could think was...

_What about daddy? Daddy's is family too._

_Momma will be nicer  
I'll be so much better  
I'll tell my brother  
I won't spill the milk at dinner_

_I'll be so much better  
I'll do everything right  
I'll be your little boy forever  
I'll go to sleep at night_

But now his daddy was gone and it was just him, his mommy and Cooper. He didn't want a new daddy, why did his have to go?

_Daddy, don't leave  
Daddy, don't leave._

* * *

**End.**

* * *

**Song used: P!NK - Family Portrait.**


End file.
